Autoglass harnesses AI to assess car screen cracks

Vehicle glass repair firm Autoglass has trialled an artificial intelligence (AI) system to assess the damage on car windows and determine whether they can be repaired or needs to be replaced.

The tech combines imaging with AI, so customers can simply take a picture of the chip or crack in their windscreen and receive an almost instant response as to how much works needs doing.

They are then able to make an appointment, knowing the engineer will be prepared for the job in hand when they arrive.

"Here at Autoglass, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to improve and provide the easiest and best experience for our customers," Nick Cleary, customer & digital director at Autoglass said.

"AI is a fascinating area which I have watched closely over the last few years, and there is no doubt it has the potential to dramatically change many aspects of our society, whether that is in our homes or how we interact with businesses. It is our opinion that it is only going to grow and get more powerful, and so we are delighted to be leading the industry with our efforts to harness its potential."

The technology provides over 80% accuracy, although Autoglass says this is likely to improve over time as more customers upload their images.

"We have been working with Autoglass for the last eighteen months developing this technology, so we are really happy to see it in action and working so well," Liam Nye, CEO at Service Certainty added.

"This has been a controlled journey of phased introduction, as we knew we had to get the technology right so it could deliver the high-level of service that Autoglass demand. The complexity of dealing with real world glass damage has been a significant challenge and we are absolutely delighted with the success of the project so far."

The next step in Autoglass and Service Certainty's relationship is to develop an AI system that determines whether a customer's car requires ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) calibrations after a windscreen repair or replacement.

"We have had a very fruitful partnership with Service Certainty imageproof so far and are excited to see what the future holds," Cleary added.

Image cedit: Bigstock

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.